Collusion
by Darcy Cole
Summary: The new King, Queen, Jack, and Ace are chosen in the Kingdoms of Spades, Diamonds, Clubs, and Hearts, and the players are less then thrilled.  Cardverse!AU, Multiple Pairings
1. Royal Cards

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya, not me.**

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><p><strong>Royal Cards: The face cards in a deck.<strong>

_Arthur Kirkland sat on the grass, surveying the wide expanse before him. It felt good to know that someday, all this land would be his. Ever since he could remember Arthur knew he would become King of Spades when the current King passed. He laid back and let the sun warm his face. The next Jack of Spades was known to be from the Wang clan, just as all the other Jacks had been, and the Ace of Spades was usually foreign born. However, no one knew who the next Queen of Spades would be. Arthur always imagined the Queen would be very beautiful with hair like the sun. Of course she would also have a good head on her shoulders and excellent breeding. They would rule the Kingdom as equals and turn it into a paradise. _

_ Arthur was abruptly shaken from his thoughts when he heard someone approaching from the East. He stood up and brushed himself off, preparing to meet this foreigner. He was tall with messy blonde hair and dazzling, cerulean eyes. He looked younger than Arthur and wore simple clothes. He was most likely a pauper of sorts. Instead of talking to Arthur or challenging him (as was expected), he was looking at him as if he had seen a ghost._

_ "You there, what are you doing on my land!" Arthur shouted at the intruder. The blue-eyed boy opened and closed his mouth a few times as he turned red in the face. "Well, are you going to answer me, or are you going to just stand there, gawking like an imbecile?"_

_ The stranger took a deep breath before asking, " What is your name?"_

_ Arthur smiled proudly as he answered, "I am the future King of Spades, Arthur Kirkland, and I demand to know what you are doing on my land!" _

_ The blonde smiled warmly as he got down on one knee. "Arthur Kirkland, if I ever become King, will you do me the honor of becoming my Queen?"_

_ Arthur began sputtering as his face turned red from embarrassment, anger, and confusion. "You sodding git! I will never be anyone's Queen! I'm going to be King one day and make sure you pay for your insolence!"_

_ With that Arthur spun on his heal and began to calmly walk away, head held high. As soon as he was out of sight, he broke into a run, nimbly avoided branches and logs. _

_ How dare that boy ask him to be his Queen! Of all the insulting..._

"Arthur..."

_ Preposterous..._

"Arthur..."

_ Asinine..._

"Arthur, wake up, aru!"

Arthur's head snapped up at the sound of the Jack of Spades's voice. He groaned as his eyes began to focus on his friend Yao Wang's face. "I'm sorry, Yao, I was just resting my eyes for a bit."

Yao snorted and said, "Resting your eyes my foot! You were passed out on your desk, aru! Have you been getting enough sleep? Are you ill?" Yao asked, placing his hand on Arthur's forehead to feel for a fever.

Arthur chuckled as he removed Yao's hand. "Really Yao, I'm fine. I was just resting before the coronation ceremony," Arthur replied as he traced the desk's wood grain with his forefinger. "But I did have that dream again..."

"The one with the blonde boy? I told you, that's all it is, aru! A dream!"

"But what if it's a premonition about today? What if I don't become King?"

Yao sighed and said, "Arthur, if all our dreams came true I would be an award winning chef married to an obese man in a cat suit." Yao ignored Arthur's inquisitive look and continued, "You're going to be the new King of Spades. Everyone knows it! No one else is responsible, brave, or smart enough to fill the position! You're the one, aru!"

Arthur smiled at his friend's speech and smiled. "You're right, Yao. It's just a silly dream. If I didn't become King, who would?"

"That's the spirit, aru! Now follow, me, you don't want to be late to your own coronation ceremony!" Arthur laughed with Yao and followed him out of the office.

Arthur followed Yao into the throne room where he was greeted by a thunderous applause from everyone who lived in the palace. Arthur advanced to the throne with Yao by his side. As the applause died down, Arthur shouted "I want to let everyone know it will be an honor to serve you as the King of Spades...if I am chosen, that is." Everyone laughed at this. Someone besides Arthur chosen as the King of Spades? How humorous! Everyone knew Arthur was going to be the next King.

Yao stepped forward and pulled a letter from his robes. "Here I have the name of the next King of Spades, written by the Master themselves. When I read this name aloud I will be announcing the next King of Spades, who will rule until his death. Do I make myself clear, aru?" Yao received an affirmative from everyone in the throne room as Arthur smiled. Yao smiled back and began to open the letter. Everyone leaned forward in their seats, wanting to hear who the new King would be. "The new King of Spades is..." suddenly Yao's smile faltered until it dropped into a grimace. Arthur raised a thick brow as Yao gave a nervous laugh. "The new King of Spades is...oh dear..."

Arthur leaned close and whispered to the raven-haired man, "What is it? Just say the bloody name!" Everyone else in the throne room also took notice of Yao's nervousness and began to whisper among each other. Arthur lost his patience and ripped the letter out of Yao's hands. "The new King of Spades is...who the hell is Alfred Jones!"

There was a collective gasp throughout the room followed by a loud crash. Everyone turned to the sound of the crash to see a young blonde man dressed in cleaner's clothes. The hand that once held his broom was shaking as he replied, "My name is Alfred Jones."

Arthur marched forward to Alfred and jabbed his chest with his finger. "And just who are you, Mr. Alfred Jones? I don't recall ever seeing you around here before!"

"I just moved here from the Kingdom of Clubs, it's my first day," Alfred gave a nervous smile as Arthur's chartreuse eyes seemed to burn. Everyone went into a frenzy at this. A foreign born King? Who was a cleaner? From Clubs? This was unheard of!

Yao seemed to recover as he yelled, "Everyone calm down, aru! I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this!"

Arthur laughed as he shouted back, "A logical explanation? How can there be a logical explanation for this?"

"I don't know but...I-I still have the names of the Queen and Ace to read? Maybe that could clear things up?"

Alfred seemed to brighten up as he said loudly, " A Queen? Read the name, I want to see who I'm going to fall in love with!" The look everyone gave Alfred seemed to collectively say, this moron is going to be our new King?

"Just read the bloody names, Yao!"

"Alright, the new Ace of Spades is Natalia Arlovskaya and the new Queen of Spades is Arthur Kirkland...oh my..." At this proclamation everyone went silent. Arthur Kirkland wasn't the King...he was...the Queen? Arthur closed his gaping mouth and slowly turned his eyes to meet Alfred's. Alfred held both his hands up in a peaceful gesture as he gave a goofy smile. Without another word Arthur stormed out of the room. After a few seconds Yao dropped the letters he was holding and ran after him.

Yao caught Arthur before he ran into his office and said, "Arthur, Arthur wait, aru! This isn't so bad..."

"Isn't so bad! That dolt stole my position! He hasn't had any proper training, he looks like he doesn't have a penny to his name, and he's a bloody Club! He's probably a criminal! He probably robbed a church or held up a retirement home or committed genocide or..."

"Arthur, calm down, aru! He hasn't done any of those things. Or, at least, I don't think he has..."

Arthur threw his hands in the air and growled in frustration. "Face it Yao, we know nothing about this guy, other then the fact that he looks like a complete nitwit! Do you really think he can rule Spades?"

Before Yao could reply Alfred ran up to the pair, breathing heavily. "Sorry guys, I was talking to the new Ace, turns out she's a chick I knew in Clubs." Alfred missed the way Yao and Arthur flinched at the name of his former home. Alfred turned to Arthur and gave a bright smile. "So you're my new Queen, huh? Well it's nice to meet you, my love!" Alfred caught Arthur's hand and kissed it as Yao tried to hide his laughter at the look on Arthur's face. Alfred ignored the reddening of Arthur's face and continued, saying, "I'm very happy we'll be ruling this Kingdom together and I'm sure we'll make it to best it can be." Yao raised his brows at the seriousness on Alfred's face and how he presenting himself. Perhaps he would make a good king, after all. But that thought was ruined when Alfred turned to Yao and asked with a smirk, "So when will Arthur be trying on his dress?"

This caused Arthur to come out of whatever spell Alfred's blue orbs had put him in as he let out a growl. Yao thought he was going to go into a tirade full of words that even a sailor would blush at, but he didn't.

He simply punched Alfred in the nose and proceeded to once again storm out of the room, growling under his breath.

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><p>As the Kingdom of Spades was caught up in crazed excitement, the Kingdom of Diamonds was getting prepared to name their new Ace. The King of Diamonds, Francis Bonnefoy, was currently standing in front of his mirror, primping and thinking of what the new Ace would be like. Of course the Ace's job was to protect the King, but Francis hoped he would be of more use than that. The last Ace was always so serious, what with that intimidating stare of his. He made for such a terrible conversationalist! Francis wouldn't say he was glad the former Ace of Diamonds was dead, but it would be nice to have someone amiable as his new Ace.<p>

Francis left his bedroom and walked across the hall to the Queen's quarters. He saw his pretty young Queen tying an orange ribbon in her hair with her back to him. He creeped up behind her with a lecherous smirk and covered her eyes with his hands. He ignored her small cry and purred, "Guess who, my darling?"

Francis heard the cocking of a gun followed by a gruff, "the Jack of Diamonds, you harlot."

Francis gave a nervous laugh as he said, "Why Basch, I didn't hear you come in!"

Basch Zwingli narrowed his green eyes as he replied, "Of course you didn't, you were too busy groping my sister!"

Elise Vogel turned around and pouted at her brother. "Brother, Francis didn't do anything wrong! He was just having a little fun, right Francis?"

Francis bowed before saying, "Of course my Queen, just a little joke to lighten the mood before the coronation ceremony!"

Basch seemed to accept this as he lowered his gun. "Well, as long as you're alright, Elise." the little Queen assured she was as she left the room with her brother as he gave one last glare to Francis.

Francis gave a melodramatic sigh. Honestly, what was he going to do with that man? He knew it was the Jack's job to protect the Queen, but pulling a gun out every time Francis got within a foot of Elise? What was the point of having such a cute little Queen if he could never show her any love? Just another reason Francis was excited to see the new Ace. He hoped the Ace would be a beautiful young person who didn't mind a little loving every now and then. Was that too much to ask for?

Francis took Elise's place in front of her mirror and ran his hands through his hair a little more before he proclaimed he was as close to perfection as he could possibly get. Then he spun around on his heel and with a broad smile on his face, made his way to the throne room.

He entered the large room shrouded in gold to the sounds of gossip. Everyone was just as excited as Francis about the coronation, some even more so. They couldn't want to verbally tear this new Ace apart!

Just before the ceremony was about to start the royal guards entered into the room holding a young man kicking his legs and flailing his arms everywhere. "My King, we intercepted this man sneaking into the Kingdom of Diamonds without the proper papers. Shall we bring him to the dungeon."

"No!" the man screamed. "I need to see the King!"

The guards threw the man to the ground as Francis said, "Well, I'm right here to see!" At his words the young man lifted his head to look at the king. The man had long, wavy gold hair with a peculiar curl and striking indigo eyes. He had a slight build and might have been mistaken for a girl if it were not the tear in his shirt revealing a flat chest. Francis advanced towards the man and said, "Well aren't you a pretty thing! What is it you need to tell me?"

The man turned bright red as he looked at the ground. "I-I just wanted to see you is all."

Francis cooed as he started to pet the man's hair (which Francis noticed could have even been softer than his). "What is your name, darling?"

The man blushed even brighter at the pet name and replied, "Matthew Williams..from Clubs...your highness."

Francis smiled warmly before standing and holding his hand out to Matthew. "Well Matthew Williams from Clubs, would you like to watch the coronation of the Ace of Diamonds with me?"

Matthew took Francis's hand and gave a little cry as he was swiftly pulled up. "Of-of course I would your highness!"

Francis laughed as he lead him to his throne. Francis sat down and pulled Matthew onto his lap, smirked at his little yelp. Then he turned toward the crowd and cried, "Let the coronation of the Ace of Diamonds commence!" He turned and nodded his head towards Basch, who in turn removed a small envelope from his pocket.

"In my hand I hold the name of the future Ace of Diamonds, written by the Master themselves. Whoever's name is called is to step up and receive his or her responsibilities as the new Ace of Diamonds. Does everyone understand?" There was a resounding "yes!" from the audience and Basch opened the envelope. "The next Ace of Diamonds will be...Matthew Williams!"

Everyone in the room turned to look at the small blonde situated on Francis's lap, who suddenly looked paler than before. "Well love, it looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other," Francis said with a grin.

Matthew looked at Francis, then the audience, then back at Francis, and promptly fainted.

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><p>As Matthew lay as a dead weight in Francis's arms, the Kingdom of Clubs was having their own coronation ceremony. The newly crowned King of Clubs, Ivan Braginski, was sitting on the throne with a childlike smile. The citizens of Clubs were applauding, some with deranged gusto, others with fear. The Battle of Clubs was finally over, and The Order had come out victorious while all members of The Resistance were slaughtered. The leader of The Order, Ivan, had become King. Some suspected this was his doing and not the Master's, but everyone was too apprehensive to speak.<p>

"The new Queen of Clubs is...Elizabeta Héderváry!" the audience once again gave its pseudo applause while the new Queen squeezed the hand of the young man next to her. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek, followed by an unheard whisper in her ear. She nodded sadly and moved to sit on the smaller throne next to Ivan's. A man with carmine eyes and burgundy hair sneered at the Queen, showing a tooth that resembled a fang. The man who had been previously standing next to the Queen looked at the man and tightened his hand into a fist. No one else saw the look the two men gave each other but everyone could feel the tension between them like a chill in the room.

"The new Jack of Clubs is...Roderich Edelstein!" the man who had been previously standing next to the Queen broke his stare with the other man to smile at the Queen. She smiled back with tears in her eyes. The newly named Jack walked over to Elizabeta and kneeled before her. He took her hand in his and kissed it and then proceeded to stand to her right. Members of the audience glanced at Ivan to see if he was going to make any moves to stop them, but Ivan sat still, frozen with that ominous smile of his.

"The new Ace of Clubs is...Vlad Popescu!" The fanged man looked to Ivan and smiled as he ran forward. He bowed to Ivan and then looked back up as he straightened his small hat. Ivan returned the smile and nodded to his left. Vlad took his place as the public of the Kingdom of Clubs began to applaud again. Ivan took Elizabeta's hand in his and raised his free hand, as if to raise the volume of the applause. Roderich glared at Ivan while Vlad glared at Elizabeta before their eyes met. The audience didn't know what had happened between these four, but the tension was so taut is was nearly visible.

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><p>As the people of the Kingdom of Clubs stared worriedly at their new rulers, the Kingdom of Hearts was getting ready to appoint their new Queen. The current King of Hearts, Ludwig Beilschmidt, was in his quarters preparing for the ceremony. His Ace, Lovino Vargas, was in the next room tuning his guitar. Ludwig listened to the plucking of Lovino's acoustic as he began to think about the coronation. He had no idea who the new Queen would be, and he was extremely anxious.<p>

As the King of Hearts, people expected him to be a person overflowing with love and happiness. Instead he was a stoic, seemingly harsh man who strived for order. While this was an excellent quality for a king he lacked the compassion all other Hearts were thought to possess. Ludwig had barely smiled since the death of his family. The only person who could still make him smile was Feliciano Vargas, the Jack of Hearts and Lovino's younger twin, but even then his smile was very rarely seen.

Ludwig leaned back in his chair as he tried to picture the new Queen. He had heard his citizens say more than once that he was so impassive because he didn't understand the concept of love. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Ludwig was in fact sick with love. He had been ever since he had first met his little angel during childhood. If he closed his eyes he could still remember...

"Ve, Ludwig?"

Ludwig opened his eyes and turned toward the Jack of Hearts. "Yes, Feliciano?"

"It's time for the coronation ceremony."

"Yes, collect your brother and we'll go to the throne room."

Feliciano pouted and walked over to Ludwig, kneeling down before him. "What are you thinking about," the Jack asked as he cocked his head to the side.

"Nothing Feli, I was just miles away in my memories."

Feliciano smiled and nodded. "I know it might seem better to live in our memories, but we have to look to the future for the questions they can't answer." Ludwig raised his brows at Feliciano's austerity, but as soon as it came it was gone. "Come on, let's get this ceremony over with so we can have pasta!"

The corners of Ludwig's mouth quirked up as he nodded in agreement. "Lovino, can you come here, please?" The guitar made a sour note as Ludwig and Feliciano heard what seemed to be cuss words coming from the next room.

The door was slammed open as Lovino walked in with a frown on his face. "Ready to go, bastard?"

"Yes, let's go."

"Ve, I hope the Queen is really pretty!" Feliciano said with a dreamy look in his eyes. Ludwig tried to push away thoughts of his love as he quickly made his way to the throne room, the Vargas twins at his heels.

Ludwig opened the doors and was rewarded with a boisterous applause. He turned his face away from the various couples in the crowd and made his way to the throne. He turned toward the crowd and proclaimed, "My fellow Hearts, today is the day we meet our new Queen." Ludwig waited for the applause to rise and decline before he continued. "The new Queen will join me as my equal and rule by my side until one of us passes. May his or her life be long and prosperous." As the applause began again Ludwig turned to Feliciano and Lovino. "Which one of you is going to read the name?"

"Ve, I am!"

"No you aren't, bastard! You're going to say the name wrong with that weird speech impediment of yours!"

"What impediment, ve?"

"That one!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, ve..."

"Bastard!" Lovino growled and dove towards Feliciano. They both landed on the ground, wrestling each other for the letter. The audience simply laughed. They were used to this kind of behavior by now and knew it was all in good fun. Ludwig simply groaned and raised his hand to his forehead, sinking into his chair.

Feliciano finally got the letter and stuck his tongue out at his brother. With a grin he opened the letter and read the name. "The next Queen of Hearts is...Kiku Honda!" The crowd applauded, but no one came forward.

Ludwig took the letter and read it to make sure Feliciano pronounced the name correctly and said, "Will Kiku Honda please come forth?" A small man with dark hair and eyes walked up from the back of the crowd.

"My name is Kiku Honda, but there must be some sort of mistake. I only came to the Kingdom of Hearts to farm, not to rule."

"Be that as it may, the Master never makes a mistake. Kiku Honda, you are the new Queen of Hearts," Ludwig said.

"Ve, the Queen of Hearts is really pretty!" Feliciano chirped with a grin. He proceeded to giggle as Kiku's face exploded in color at the comment.

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><p>As Kiku hid behind Ludwig from Feliciano's advances, the two Jokers laughed as they watched the proceedings of all the coronations. The older Joker, Gilbert Beilschmidt, ran a hand through his silver hair as he chuckled.<p>

"Good going for your first act of chaos, little man!"

Peter Kirkland snickered as he punched Gilbert in the arm. "Told you I could handle it!"

Gilbert smirked and said, "Shits about to go down for these lousy Suits. Are you ready to cause it?" Gilbert held his hand out to Peter, who grabbed his hand.

"Until I am replaced."

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><p>The actors have finally been chosen for our little play. But perhaps you would like to know more about the actors? Shall we see the story behind Alfred Jones and Matthew Williams? Let us begin our tale on the streets of the Kingdom of Clubs...<p>

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><p><strong>Review, please (:<strong>


	2. Underdog

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya, not me.**

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><p><strong>Underdog: A player with a smaller chance to win than another specified player. <strong>

It was a frigid day in the Kingdom of Clubs, as was the norm. The people of Clubs were familiar with the harsh winters that often befell them. As families scurried through the streets, trying to find shelter, two little boys hid in the shadows of the alleyway. Six-year-old Alfred was trying to cover four-year-old Matthew with as many scraps of newspaper as he could find as he himself was freezing.

"Al, a-aren't you g-going to keep some for y-yourself?" Matthew asked, his speech punctured by chattering teeth.

Alfred gave a loud laugh and said, "I'm the h-hero, Matty! I n-need to protect you!"

"You n-need to protect yourself, too! Y-you aren't going to be that good of a h-hero if you're f-frozen!" Matthew gave a small smile at Alfred as he gave him some of his newspaper. "L-let's get some sleep. It will p-probably stop snowing by morning."

Alfred took the newspaper offered to him and snuggled against Matthew. "Thanks, M-matty."

"You're welcome A-Al."

The brothers spent the night huddled against each other as the storm continued to rage. The Kingdom of Clubs was said to be the worst of the four Kingdoms, and with good reason. It was freezing cold for most of the year with a very short, warm spring. The social class was split into very rich and very poor, and the poor far out-numbered the rich. Many children were left without parents and it was not unusual to see them on the street, as Matthew and Alfred were. It was also said that the only people who came to Clubs were criminals running away from whatever crime they committed in their home Kingdom. No one wanted to look for lost criminals in Clubs, so it had become a haven for the worst of the worst. People said living in Clubs was as close to living in Hell as you could get, and this was closer to the truth then any outsiders knew.

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><p>A week later and a lull in the storm found Alfred and Matthew scrounging for food in the nearby market. Because of the amount of poor, Clubs was also notorious for thieves. Alfred held a finger to his lips as he began to follow a woman with a basket of groceries. She had some bread sticking out of the basket, and it would be so easy to break a piece off for him and Matt to eat! As Alfred reached toward the basket his hand was caught in a vice-like grip by the woman. Her pale blue eyes flashed at Alfred before they widened.<p>

"Why, you're just a little boy! You can't be much older than my Ivan! Tell me, what's your name?"

Alfred swallowed nervously before answering, "Alfred Washington, ma'am."

"And when was the last time you had a decent meal, Alfred?"

"At least a week, ma'am..." Alfred let out a loud cry as he was clutched to the lady's large bosom.

"A week! Oh, gracious! You poor thing! You're going to come home with me right now and have supper with me and my family!" As she let finally let Alfred go, gasping for air, Matthew peeked out behind a fruit stand.

"Can I come, too?"

The woman smiled at the other boy and said, "of course you can, dear! What's your name?" Alfred slung an arm over Matthew's shoulders and said, "this is Matthew, my little brother!" "Well, Alfred and Matthew, follow me so we can fill those tummies of yours with some food," she said as she poked Matthew stomach, making him giggle. "Goodness, you're so skinny! You really haven't eaten in a long time. We'll take care of that right away, now won't we?" As she turned to leave Matthew grabbed her sleeve. "Yes, Matthew?"

"What's your name?"

"Oh, gracious, where are my manners? My name is Yekaterina Braginski."

"Yekit, Yaka..."

Yekaterina chuckled at the reddening of Matthew's face and said, "You can just call me Kat."

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><p>Kat lead Alfred and Matthew to a small collection of homes on the outskirts of Clubs. As she opened the door to one of the smaller houses, she was met with an armful of Ivan.<p>

"Katy, Natalia's scaring me again."

Another platinum blonde appeared in the doorway with a scowl on her pretty face. "I was not! You just can't handle the truth!"

Kat patted Ivan's head and said, "now calm down you two, I've got someone I'd like you to meet!" Kat stepped to the side revealing Alfred and Matthew. "Ivan and Natalia, I'd like you to meet Alfred and Matthew, they're going to be eating supper with us tonight."

Natalia looked right through Matthew at Alfred and glared while Ivan smiled at Matthew and said, "you're so pretty! You look just like a sunflower!"

Between the glaring and the creepy smiling Alfred didn't know who to be more afraid of. Kat simply laughed and said, "Well, it seems you four are going to be the best friends!"

Natalia glared at her older sister as she pointed at Alfred saying, "There is no way I'm going to be friends with that idiot!"

"I haven't even said anything yet!"

"Yeah, well you look like an idiot!"

Kat stepped in between Alfred and Natalia and said, "now, now, let's all sit down and have a nice peaceful dinner, alright?"

Ivan's smile brightened. "I'm going to sit next to my sunflower," he said as he dragged Matthew to the table. Matthew gave Alfred a look as if to say, what have we gotten ourselves into?

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><p>An hour later the five Clubs sat around the dining room table enjoying bread and stew. Alfred wolfed his portion down as Kat chatted with Matthew.<p>

"So Matthew, do you have any other family?"

Matthew tried to swat Ivan's wandering hands away as he said, "no, it's just me and Alfred."

"Where are your parents," Kat asked with a worried look. "We don't know, we just woke up and they were gone one day. We've always lived on the streets, so that's nothing new, but never by ourselves."

Kat let out a sob as she said, "that's awful! You're going to live with us from now on, Alfred and Matthew!"

Ivan let out a loud whoop as he brought Matthew into a hug. "Hooray! My sunflower is going to live with me and my sisters!"

As Alfred wondered about Ivan's mental status, Natalia stood and banged her hands on the table. "You can't, sister! There's barely enough room for the three of us, let alone two more!"

Before Kat could start crying again Alfred stood and said, "don't worry, Kat, I can take care of Matthew! After all, I am the hero!"

"But you can't just live on the streets!"

"We've been doing it our whole lives! Like Matty said, it's nothing new!" He took Kat's hands in his and said, "we'll be fine, I promise."

Kat smiled through her tears and said, "well if you think that's best. But you're going to come here for meals and I'm going to sew you some new clothes, as well!"

Natalia gave a triumphant smirk as Ivan whined, "but then I won't get to see Matthew!" He looked into Matthew's indigo eyes and said, "I want to see my sunflower bloom."

Matthew blushed at the possible implications of that sentence while Natalia gave her infamous scowl and Alfred mimicked it.

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><p>It was a few years later and spring in the Kingdom of Clubs when Matthew found himself being led blindfolded into the forest.<p>

"Ivan, you better not make me trip," the teen said as he giggled. Ivan had gotten increasingly more affection throughout the years, but Matthew was still surprised when Ivan asked him on a date. He was even more surprised when Ivan gave him a blindfold and told him he wasn't allowed to see anything until they got to their destination.

"Just a little farther, sunflower." Matthew blushed at the pet name Ivan still used for him. "Alright, here we are!" Matthew gasped as Ivan removed the blindfold. They were facing an enormous field of sunflowers with the sunset as the backdrop.

"Oh, Ivan..." Matthew said as he looked at he field of sunflowers. "This is so beautiful."

"Yes. It is," Ivan said, his gaze never leaving Matthew 's face. He leaned over and whispered in Matthew's ear, "you're the first person I've ever shown this to."

"Really?"

"Yes," he said as he kissed Matthew's ear. "But they're not as beautiful as you." Matthew felt tears well up in his eyes as Ivan kissed his cheek. "I love you, Matthew." Matthew cried as he hugged Ivan. "What's wrong, sunflower?"

"Nothing's wrong, Ivan. I-I just love you...so much..."

Ivan smiled and said, "that's all I could ever hope for."

The two intertwined their fingers and shared a chaste kiss as the sun sank behind the sunflowers.

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><p>As Ivan and Matthew shared their love beneath the stars, Alfred was running to the Braginski household. He threw open the door and said, "Ivan, you wouldn't believe what I just—woah..." Instead of seeing his best friend, Alfred was looking at a trashed version of the tiny house. There was a chair with a broken leg and the mirror that once hung over the armoire was smashed to pieces. Natalia sat on one of the cots in the corner of the room with her face in her hands. "Naty, what happened?" When Natalia didn't move, Alfred walked over to her and reached out. "Natalia..."<p>

"Don't touch me!" Natalia screeched as she pulled away from Alfred. Alfred caught sight of her tear stained face before she turned, facing the wall. Before he could ask what happened, Natalia said, "Ivan is with Matthew."

Alfred raised an eyebrow and said, "well, yeah, they're always together now, it's really weir-"

"No you idiot, they're together as in they're lovers!" Natalia cried as she began to sob again.

"Well, Matty can take care of himself-" "I don't care about your stupid brother!" Before Alfred could defend said brother Natalia whispered, "we were supposed to be together." She turned to face Alfred and yelled, "we were supposed to be together! Ever since we were little Ivan would talk about how he would be King and I would be Queen. H-he can't just ruin our future like this!"

"Natalia, just because Ivan loves Matthew, that doesn't mean he doesn't love you..."

"Yes it does!" Natalia began crying more. "The King and Queen are supposed to be true loves! That's what Kat told us!"

"Really?"

Natalia nodded as she said, "he can't leave me like this!" Natalia turned to face the wall again before Alfred caught her shoulders and moved her to face him.

"He's not going to leave you. You're his sister and he loves you."

"No. I'm all alone now."

"You're not alone. I'm here, aren't I?"

Natalia looked at Alfred through her tears and then threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Alfred."

"You said my name."

"What?"

Alfred gave a blinding smile and said, "you've never said my name before. You usually only call me idiot. It sounds nice when you say my name." Natalia turned bright red and turned away. "How about you get some sleep while I clean up. Then in the morning you can talk to Ivan if you'd like." Alfred made to get up from the bed, but was stopped when Natalia grabbed his wrist.

"Please stay with me."

Alfred smiled and laid back. "Sure, Naty. You just get some sleep."

"Alfred? Will you...will you be here when I wake up?"

"I promise I will."

* * *

><p>As Alfred and Natalia fell asleep, Matthew lay bruised and beaten in the sunflower field. He awoke to the sounds of Ivan's panicked cries. Memories started to rush back to him as Matthew's eyes snapped open. He remembered Ivan's eyes glowing darker than before as he closed his hand into a fist and...<p>

Matthew screamed and jumped back from Ivan. "Matthew, I can explain-"

"What the hell was that!" Matthew cried. His eyes bulged as they landed on the blood on Ivan's clothes. Matthew looked at his own body and saw numerous scratches and bruises. "What did you do to me!"

Matthew gasped as Ivan fell to his knees, crying, and chanting "I'm sorry" over and over like a mantra. "I'm so sorry, sunflower, I-I promise I never meant to hurt you, I just have these episodes sometime, and I can't remember afterwords but..."

Ivan stopped when he was gathered into Matthew's arms. "There, there, it's okay..." Matthew winced as Ivan hugged him tightly.

"Don't you hate me now?"

Matthew looked at Ivan sadly. "I don't know what to think of you anymore."

* * *

><p>Alfred and Natalia were waken up by Matthew and Ivan opening the front door. Kat had come home earlier, cleaned up and went out again, but was quiet so she wouldn't wake the two teenagers on the bed. Alfred hopped up from the bed when he saw Ivan supporting a wounded Matthew. "Ivan, what happened?"<p>

Neither Ivan nor Matthew answered, both looking at he floor.

"Ivan, what did you do?" Natalia asked from the bed. Alfred looked between Ivan and Natalia before asking, "this has happened before?" The two Braginskis nodded, not looking at Ivan. Alfred looked at Natalia for answers.

"Sometimes big brother gets angry..."

Alfred walked up and punched Ivan squarely on the jaw. "You Bastard!" As Ivan fell to the ground Alfred began to deliver more punches. "Natalia said you loved Matthew, how could you do that!" Ivan punched Alfred in the nose before pulling out a metal pipe from his coat. Matthew gave a shriek and ran over to stand behind Natalia.

"Brother, stop it!" Natalia screamed. Ivan seemed to lose the bloodthirsty look in his eyes as he dropped the pipe. Alfred stood up and grabbed Matthew's hand. He dragged Matthew to the doorway as he glared at Ivan.

"If you ever come near my brother again I will kill you."

* * *

><p>Three years later an eighteen-year-old Alfred and a sixteen-year-old Matthew stood next to each other among the other citizens of the Kingdom of Clubs. The last King of Clubs had died, and now it was time for a new one to be named. Everyone, from the poorest to the richest, was packed together like sardines in the palace throne room, waiting to hear the name. The Jack and the Ace were arguing while the Queen looked on worriedly.<p>

The Jack walked over to the Queen and whispered something to him. His eyebrows shot up and he screamed, "what do you mean you can't find the letter!"

The crowd went quiet as the Jack said, "the Ace says a Joker stole it." The crowd got loud once again. Screams and punches were thrown back and forth as things got more violent. Clubs was already in ruin, but what would happen without a King?

Alfred stood and screamed over the crowd, "we don't need a King!"

Everyone went silent. Matthew elbowed Alfred and hissed, "What are you doing!"

Alfred ignored his brother and continued. "We can govern ourselves! It's been done before."

"Yes, but didn't that Kingdom fall?" Ivan said from the other side of the room, flanked by his sisters. Alfred sneered at the sight of Ivan. They hadn't talked since that day three years ago, and Alfred had made it clear that he hated Ivan.

A well-dressed man walked over and pointed to Alfred. "The boy's right! We need a government for the people, by the people!" his wife agreed and led an applause. From there things got even more chaotic. People began to chose sides, those who wanted change went to Alfred while those who wanted the old ways went to Ivan. Alfred watched as two brunettes fought in the middle of the room. The scarlet eyed one pushed the other down and joined Ivan. The hazel eyed brunette ran over to the well-dressed man and whispered something to him. The man glared at the red eyed man and then whispered something back.

Alfred turned to say something to Matthew, but found the spot where he had been empty. He looked to the other side of the room and growled when he saw Ivan looming over a scared looking Matthew. Alfred stomped over and stood between the two.

"What did I tell you about Matthew?" he barked.

"You will not keep me away from my sunflower!" With that Ivan lunged to Alfred, making to hit him, until Natalia and Kat held him back.

"No more violence, brother!" Kat shouted as she cried.

Alfred dragged Matthew out of the palace as Ivan proceeded to yell something back at Kat.

* * *

><p>A few months later Matthew was wandering the market, looking for food to steal. Before he had left Matthew saw Alfred conversing with a timid brunette named Stefan. Apparently he wanted Alfred to lead The Resistance, but Alfred refused. Alfred wanted to run away to the Kingdom of Spades with Matthew. How ridiculous. It was true Spades was called "The Land of Opportunities", but what opportunity could there be for Matthew? The one person he ever truly loved beat him within an inch of his life. He sighed as he left the market. Most of the food was rotten or stolen, anyway. He put his hands in his pockets as he made his way to the alleyway Alfred and he had slept in last night. Matthew was supposed to find food for their journey to Spades, but he couldn't do that when there was no food to be found. As he turned the corner he literally ran into Natalia, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Matthew stood up and rubbed the back of his head as he held his hand out for Natalia.<p>

Natalia seemed to realize who she had run into and swatted his hand away. "Where's Alfred?"

"Why do you want to know?" Matthew was very wary of Natalia. He didn't want Alfred to get hurt because of anything he said.

"I want to help him."

Matthew raised an eyebrow and said, "why would you want to help Alfred? I thought you hated him." "I hate you. I don't hate Alfred." Natalia looked away and mumbled, "I could never hate Alfred."

Matthew sighed and said, "Alright, but you can't tell Ivan anything." Natalia nodded and Matthew continued, "Alfred and I are going to Spades."

"I'm coming to," Natalia said without hesitation.

"No, you have to stay here with Ivan and Kat."

Natalia narrowed her eyes and said, "do you still love my brother?"

Matthew paused for an instant before saying, "I care for him. You seem to keep him in line. Stay with him and make sure he behaves himself."

Natalia nodded. "I will stay with brother as long as he needs me."

"Good. Now if-" Matthew was interrupted by the blaring of trumpets. "What was that?"

"The King of Diamonds is visiting. He wants to talk with the Queen." Natalia said as she pointed to a carriage across the street.

Matthew looked to where Natalia pointed and was hit with a sensation he had never felt before. It was unlike the brotherly affection he felt towards Alfred, the childlike crush he once had on Kat, or the love he once held for Ivan.

He watched as the King of Diamonds stepped out of the carriage and took the hand of a very tall man with glasses. The King looked across the street at Matthew and Natalia. His sapphire eyes met Matthew's and he gave him a dazzling smile paired with a wink. Matthew's face turned beet red as he tried to calm his beating heart. Natalia raised an eyebrow as Matthew began to breathe heavily. "I have to go see Alfred now." He turned and began to run down the street as he yelled back to Natalia, "give Ivan my regards!"

* * *

><p>Alfred was pacing in the alleyway where Matthew and he slept the night before. Matthew was over fifteen minutes late! What could have happened? Could Ivan have found him? Alfred knew it was a stupid idea to let Matt go out on his own!<p>

He was about to go look for him when Matthew walked into the alleyway. "Matty, where have you been? I've been worried sick!"

Matthew giggled and spun around. "I've been to the sun and the mood and back!"

"...Matthew, are you drunk?"

Matthew giggled again and said, "maybe drunk off of love!"

"Okay, yeah, whatever. You have to sleep this off so we can go to Spades in the morning. I was thinking we could change our name to 'Jones', because it's-"

Matthew seemed to snap out of whatever delusion he was in as he said, "no, I can't go to Spades!"

"Um, why not?"

"I need to go to the Kingdom of Diamonds!"

"Psh, you want to go to Diamonds? There's no way! Do you know how much money it takes to get in there? And do you really think they'd let a Club in? What reason could you possibly have for going there?"

"I'm in love!"

Alfred became quiet at that.

"You-you're in love?"

Matthew nodded vigoursly and said, "Yes!"

"I thought you were in love with Ivan."

"I thought I was too, but this feeling, it's like.." Matthew's eyes darted back and forth before he grabbed Alfred's hand and held it to his chest. "It's like my heart's beating for this one person, and it's always been, but my brain's only just realized! I need to go to Diamonds for this person, I just have to!"

Alfred stared at Matthew for a moment before saying, "really?"

Matthew nodded again and said, "really, really!"

Alfred smiled and threw his arms around Matthew as he mumbled, "promise you'll stay safe?"

Matthew smiled and said, "promise you'll write."

"I don't know..."

"Al!"

"Alright fine, I'll write." The two brothers leaned back and looked at each other. "Love you, bro," Alfred said as he brought Matthew into another hug.

Matthew smiled and said, "Love you too, Al."

* * *

><p>Now that the brothers have been introduced, perhaps it is time to learn more about our little Ivan? Let us go back and see where he got his start...<p>

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><p><strong>Review, please (:<strong>


	3. Tilt

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya, not me.**

* * *

><p><strong>Tilt: Emotional upset, mental confusion, or frustration in which a player adopts a less than optimal strategy, usually resulting in poor play and poor performance. <strong>

Ivan had only ever lost three things in his life. The first thing he lost was his parents.

Ivan remembered his parents very fondly. His father was a very tall, stern man. He shared Ivan's snowy hair and Yekaterina's pale, blue eyes. His hair was short and shaggy and he had an enormous mustache. He worked in the Kingdom of Clubs at the palace as a royal guard. The other guards called him General Winter because of his harsh disposition, but he was different around his children and wife. He could always cuddle with an infant Natalia and would have snowball fights with little Ivan and Yekaterina.

Ivan's mother was the exact opposite of his father. She had sun-kissed, freckled skin and long, dirty blonde hair that was always adorned with flowers, no matter the time of year. She had the same navy blue eyes as Natalia that would sparkle like the night sky. She worked as a tutor in the Kingdom of Clubs and was loved by all the children. They called her Mistress Summer because of her warm personality. Even with her busy schedule she would always find time to brain Yekaterina's hair or play with Ivan.

Ivan loved his mother more than anything else in the world. She was always smiling and laughing, even in the dead of winter. When spring rolled around she would bring him to a magical place filled with flowers. They would have a picnic and Mistress Summer would teach Ivan how to waltz. They would end the day by lying side by side in the field, watching the sunset.

"Mommy?" Ivan would ask Summer.

"Yes, darling?"

"Are you always going to stay with me?"

Summer laughed. "Of course I will, darling."

"You promise never to leave?"

Summer rolled over and squeezed his sides. "Never ever." Ivan was about to ask another question before he dissolved into giggles. "Come now darling, let's go home and see how your father and sisters are doing." She held her hand out to Ivan, who smiled and took it in his. They walked home, swinging their jointed hands and talking about trivial things.

* * *

><p>When they arrived home they were greeted by a loud bang followed by Winter stumbling into the hallway, one hand clutching his head and the other holding the faucet pipe. "Darling, is everything alright?"<p>

"Yeah, I'm just fixing the sink," Winter mumbled.

Summer kissed his cheek and said, "That's my big, strong man!" She giggled when he blushed. "Where are the girls?"

"Yekaterina went to get some groceries and she thought Natalia could use some fresh air." He turned and looked at Ivan. "How was your day?"

"Very good, sir. I finished reading that book you gave me."

Winter smiled slightly and ruffled Ivan's hair. "That's my boy. Now why don't you go to room for a moment while I have a talk with your mother?" Ivan nodded and made his way to his room. He laid on his bed and took out one of the books his father had bought for him. He rolled onto his stomach and turned to the page he was on. He was about to continue reading the chapter when he heard a crash from the living room followed by a scream. Ivan stared at the door and then dove under the bed when he heard yelling. Summer began to scream louder and Ivan covered his ears. _Please stop Mommy, please stop screaming. _Ivan bit his lip to keep quiet as tears began to run down his face. He heard a sickening "crack" sound followed by a deafening silence. He quietly got out from under the bed and tiptoed to the door. He opened the door and peeked out.

The formerly blue walls of the living room were now painted in red. His father lay in the doorway while his mother was slung across the ottoman. Her navy eyes were open and frozen in shock and she didn't seem to be breathing. Ivan got on his hands and knees and crawled over to her. He nudged her shoulder but she didn't blink or make any other move. She just continued to stare blankly through Ivan.

Ivan heard a noise and looked up. He saw a man with a long braid in front of the safe. The man's clothes were stained with blood—his parents' blood. Something snapped inside Ivan when he realized that. He crept over and picked up the forgotten faucet pipe off the ground then advanced toward the intruder. He brought the pipe over his shoulders and swung, knocking the back of the man's knees. He collapsed on the floor and swore. Ivan brought the pipe over his head and hit him again and again with his eyes tightly shut until he heard the same "crack" sound as before.

Ivan stood, shaking, before the bloody mess that no longer resembled a human. He let the pipe slip from his grasp as he walked back to Summer. He sat on his knees and cupped her face with his hand. Her skin was waxy and didn't feel warm anymore. Ivan felt his own cheek and gasped when he felt wetness. Had he been crying this whole time?

He brought his hand back and shrieked when he saw blood. Was he bleeding?

Ivan looked around the room at the blood-stained walls and floor. Where had it all come from? And who was that by the safe? Ivan put his head in his hands and began hyperventilating.

What happened?

Why wasn't Mommy waking up?

Ivan was so far gone he didn't hear the door opening or Yekaterina's scream. All he felt was a pair of arms around him, dragging him away from Summer.

Then nothing.

* * *

><p>The second thing Ivan lost was his sunflower.<p>

Once Alfred had taken Matthew away Ivan had remained in the same spot for hours, just thinking. Natalia had removed his bloody coat and Yekaterina had cleaned his wounds as he thought.

_Ivan lay in the field, Matthew comfortably resting on his chest. They watched the sky as the conversation changed from making stories out of the cloud formations to explanations for the constellations._

_ Ivan smiled as he ran his fingers through Matthew's golden locks. Nothing could be more perfect than this, lying in a field of sunflowers with the one you love. He sighed in contentment as he closed his eyes. He opened them again when he felt Matthew shift. He yawned and tried to sit up, but Ivan pulled him back down._

_ Matthew gave a little whine and said, "Ivan, I need to go now. Alfred must be looking for me."_

_ "No," Ivan said as he rolled over, pinning Matthew to the ground and giving him a passionate kiss. _

_ Matthew squirmed a bit and said, "seriously Ivan, I need to go."_

_ "No," Ivan repeated, his tone deeper than before. _

_ Matthew pushed Ivan and said, "Ivan, let me go." Ivan held Matthew's hands above his head and then..._

...and then that's when Ivan lost the memory. Ivan had woken up before with the room in shambles, but as far as Ivan could remember he never remembered hurting anyone when he had one of his "spells" as Yekaterina called it.

He hadn't meant to hurt his sunflower, but he couldn't let Matthew leave him.

Not now, not ever.

* * *

><p>"Yes, but didn't that Kingdom fall?"<p>

Ivan would be lying if he said he didn't like pissing Alfred off.

Three years later Alfred was still the same annoying optimist. Unfortunately he was also the same idiot.

Ivan scowled as he saw people begin to join Alfred's side and defend him. Oh, they would fall. They would fall hard.

Ivan was pulled out of his thoughts when felt someone staring at him. He looked down and found a brunette staring up at him. The brunette grinned, revealing one fang-like tooth. He saluted and said, "Vlad Popescu, I'm ready to join your side, sir!"

Ivan smiled and clapped the boy on his shoulder. "It's good to have y-" Ivan stopped when he looked at the boy's eyes. They were am otherworldly, striking red color.

Like a blue room painted in blood...

Ivan flinched.

_What was that?_

"Ivan."

Ivan snapped out of his reverie when he heard that voice. He forgot all about Vlad and his vision causing eyes and focused on the blonde looking up at him. "Hello, Matthew." Ivan tried to slow his beating heart as he stared at his sunflower. How easy it would be to take him away and make sure nothing would ever make him leave again...

Matthew shifted his weight from one foot the other as he said, "well, I just want to make sure there are no hard feelings between us. I mean, Alfred kind of broke us up before we could talk about what happened."

Ivan smiled and took a step forward. "Yes, it is so good to have you back my sunflower."

Matthew blinked and took a step back. "No, Ivan, I'm not your sunflower."

Ivan narrowed his eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"What Alfred did was the right thing. The breaking us up part, not the breaking your nose part."

Ivan took another step forward and whispered, "but would you have left if your brother wasn't there?"

Before Matthew could answer Alfred stepped in between the two of them and hissed, "what did I tell you about Matthew?"

Ivan looked between the brothers and then snarled, "you will not keep me away from my sunflower!" He pounced at Alfred but was held back by his sisters.

Yekaterina begin to sob as she yelled, "no more violence, brother!"

Ivan turned towards his older sister and said, "I will not allow anyone to take what is mine. Not even you, sister." Ivan turned back to Matthew, but let out a growl when he discovered he and Alfred were gone.

* * *

><p>Ivan stood in front of the palace, looking at The Order—his Order. The Queen, Jack, and Ace had taken up residence in the palace and today was the day Ivan was going to have a little talk with them about his cause.<p>

He looked towards the front of the group and saw three of its highest ranking members: Elizabeta, Roderich, and Vlad. Elizabeta and Roderich were staring at the ground while Vlad was looking right at Ivan with those damnable red eyes of his. Ivan looked towards Roderich and said, "is everything set?"

Roderich looked up at him and said, "everyone is prepared, Ivan. They are awaiting your orders."

Ivan smiled and nodded at Roderich before turning to Elizabeta. He fingered the pink geraniums in her chestnut hair and sighed. They always reminded Ivan of another woman, but he could never picture her face. "Would you like to come with me, Elizabeta? I'm sure these Royals would love the company of a young lady after being cooped up in the palace for so long." Elizabeta shook her head and gave Ivan a polite smile. "Ah, darling, your smile is so lovely."

"What did you call her?" Roderich asked lowly.

"I didn't call her anything," Ivan said before turning around. He glanced at Vlad and said, "make sure I am uninterrupted."

* * *

><p>Ivan sat with the Queen at the small dining table. The Jack stood the right of the Queen and the Ace stood to the left. All three were looking anywhere but Ivan and shaking slightly. Ivan lifted his teacup to his lips while the Queen buttered his rye. "It is quite amusing to watch you eat your fill while the citizens of Clubs are starving," Ivan said as he smiled slightly at the tartness of the rose hips. He reclined in his chair and looked at the Queen when he didn't receive a response. He put his hands behind his head and smirked. "Tell me, my dear Toris, have you ever worn a dress?"<p>

Toris choked on his tea. _Well, that certainly got his attention._ "What kind of question is that!"

Ivan giggled. "Well, I had to get your attention somehow, didn't I?"

"Toris doesn't wear dresses, but the King used to."

Toris scowled at the Ace while the Jack slapped him upside the head. "Shut up, Raivis!"

"Oh, yes, the King. Tell me what was her name?" Toris mumbled something behind his hand. "Pardon? I'm afraid I didn't hear."

"I said...his name was Feliks."

Ivan giggled again. "And how did he die?"

Toris looked down and whispered, "hunting accident."

Ivan laughed aloud at that. "The great white hunter finally meets his end, eh? Mauled by a terrible beast, perhaps?" Before Toris could answer Ivan continued, "no, trampled by his own horse! What an-"

"Enough!" Toris shouted, standing and planting his hands on the table. "I have invited you to hear what The Order is planning to do, not have you insult my family and myself!"

Ivan also stood up and said, "then perhaps it is time I tell you what I have decided to do. It is true I think we should keep the current government system, but I feel that the members should be changed."

Toris's eyes widened and the Jack moved to stand in front of him, followed by the Ace. "W-what are you talking about?"

Ivan's smile disappeared as he lowered his head to look into the Queen's eyes. "I believe it is time for you to relinquish your position."

The Jack's eyes narrowed as he said, "the Queen rules until he or she passes away."

Raivis saw Ivan reach into his coat and tugged on the Jack's sleeve. "Eduard..." The three watched Ivan pull a faucet pipe out of his robe as he smiled maniacally.

"Then perhaps it is your time."

* * *

><p>The third thing Ivan had lost was his dear sister.<p>

_Ivan had run home to see Yekaterina as soon as he had heard the news. Vlad had told him that the Queen, Jack, and Ace had been found dead. Vlad wouldn't tell him how they had died, but that wasn't important at present. This could change the course of the Battle of Clubs and prove to be an aid or a hindrance of The Order. _

The next thing Ivan knew he was waking up on the floor of their house. His head was pounding and he had to wait a moment for the room to stop spinning. He sat up and looked around the room and saw Natalia kneeling next to Yekaterina. She was holding her sister's hand and it looked like she had been crying. "Natalia, what happened?" Natalia's head snapped up and she looked at Ivan with fearful eyes. Ivan said quieter, "Natalia, what happened to Yekaterina?"

Natalia sniffled and swallowed before answering, "a-a member of The Resistance killed her."

Ivan ground his teeth and closed his hand in a fist as he growled, "Alfred."

Natalia's eyes widened and she said, "what? No, it wasn't Alfred!"

"Then you saw who did it?" Natalia opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it and shook her head. "Then Alfred did it. I know he is a member of The Resistance. This must be his idea of revenge for what happened to Matthew. He must think we're even now." Ivan stood and walked towards the door. "But we are far from even."

Natalia scrambled to her feet and said, "where are you going, Ivan?"

"I'm going to win this battle, and then I'm gonna to make sure Alfred pays. For everything he has taken from me."

* * *

><p>Now that we have experienced Ivan's less than stellar childhood, perhaps you'd like to see the story through Natalia's eyes? Her story starts a few years after meeting Alfred and Matthew...<p>

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><p><strong>Review, please (:<strong>


	4. Fold

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya, not me.**

**The italics are flashback and Natalia's thoughts.**

**This is the longest chapter so far, so...enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Fold: To discard one's hand and forfeit interest in the current pot.<strong>

_ Natalia giggled as Ivan spun her around while Yekaterina laughed from the sidelines. Every Tuesday Ivan would teach Natalia a new dance as Yekaterina made supper. They all sat at the table as Yekaterina ladled soup into their bowls. "Katy," Natalia started, "Ivan told me something great today!"_

_ "What did he say, Natalia?"_

_ Ivan looked up over his soup bowl and smiled. "I told Natalia that I would be King of Clubs and she would be Queen when we're older. Isn't that great?"_

_ Yekaterina giggled and said, "Oh yes, that's just perfect! Did I ever tell you about the original King and Queen?"_

_ Natalia shook her head and climbed onto Yekaterina's lap. "No, sister, tell us!"_

_ "The original King and Queen of Clubs were two souls tied together by fate. They were soul mates, and so in love no one could ever split them apart."_

_ Natalia turned to Ivan and said, "big brother, do you love me?"_ _ Ivan smiled and replied, "of course I love you, sister. And no one will ever split us apart, because we're going to be the King and Queen and be together forever." _

That was before Natalia and her family met Alfred and Matthew.

She scowled as she watched the three of them together. They were preforming one of their little schemes for food. Matthew would cry and lament about how hungry he was, making the fruit seller feel so bad he would give Matthew an apple. Meanwhile, Ivan and Alfred would tip the fruit stand so the food would roll into a bag. Matthew would then smile, thank the seller, and run off, leaving the confused seller with an empty fruit stand.

It was ingenious, really.

Natalia watched as Ivan, Alfred, and Matthew celebrated after their heist. Alfred would high five Ivan and then ruffle Matthew's hair. Ivan would hug Matthew, perhaps a little longer than a friend would. Natalia tightened her hand into a fist. Big brother should be treating her like that, not some little orphan off the streets!

Natalia squeezed her eyes shut and began shaking. _It's not fair..._

When she opened them again she sighed in relief when she saw that the trio was gone. She was about to turn to go home when a hand landed on her shoulder. Quick as a flash, Natalia removed the dagger strapped to her thigh and spun around, holding the dagger to the stranger's throat.

"Naty, it's me, Alfred!"

She didn't remove the dagger.

"You're making me kind of nervous there..."

Natalia sighed and lowered her weapon. "What do you want, idiot?"

Alfred rocked back and forth on his heels and said, "I saw you over here before, cowering in a shady alley, and thought I'd give you the gift of company. Plus," Alfred removed the apple he was hiding behind his back. "I gotcha an apple." He tossed it in the air and Natalia caught it. She turned it over and inspected it. Alfred laughed and said, "it's just an apple. I didn't poison it or anything."

Natalia looked Alfred in the eye and frowned. "I don't trust you."

"Well, how about I take the first bite, okay? Then if I drop dead you don't have to eat it." Natalia nodded and Alfred took the apple, taking a large bite. Then his eyes went wide and he clutched his throat, shaking. Natalia gasped and then Alfred swallowed, laughing. "Naw, I'm kidding, it's all good."

Natalia growled and kneed Alfred in the crotch. "Idiot, don't scare me like that!"

Alfred groaned and fell to the ground. Then he smirked and said, "does Natalia finally care about someone other then big brother?"

Natalia blushed and shook her head. "N-no! I just don't want to have to clean up your body when you die!"

Alfred laughed and patted Natalia on the arm. "Whatever you say, Naty."

Natalia blushed again and ran home.

_Alfred has really blue eyes._

She screeched and smacked herself in the forehead. Shut up, idiot!

* * *

><p><em>Natalia watched as Yekaterina braided her hair. It was so long and pretty. Natalia fingered her own short strands and frowned. Maybe big brother would love her more if her hair was long like big sister's? <em>

_ Yekaterina tied the braid off and wrapped it around itself and pinned it into a neat bun. She looked at Natalia and smiled. "Were you watching me do my hair, Natalia?"_

_ Natalia nodded. "You have such pretty hair, sister! Where did you learn to make it look like that?"_

_ "Mommy taught me how to do it. Do you remember Mommy?" Natalia shook her head. "Well, she was a very pretty, very nice person."_

_ "Sister, what happened to Mommy?"_

_ Yekaterina's smile faltered before she knelt down so she was at Natalia's level. "I'll tell you what Natalia—I promise when your hair gets longer I'll teach you how to braid it, okay?"_

_ Natalia didn't even notice that Yekaterina had changed the subject as she smiled brightly and nodded. "Okay!"_

"Natalia, there you are! I've bought you a little gift!"

Natalia looked up from the book she was reading at her sister. "You—you bought something for me?" They _never _had enough money for gifts! What could it be?

Yekaterina shook her head excitedly and handed Natalia a box. "Yes! I saw it in the market yesterday and just knew it was perfect for you!"

Natalia lifted the lid off the box and gasped. "Oh, sister..." In the box was a very extravagant looking hair ribbon. It was crème colored with navy embroidered flowers. "This must have cost a fortune!"

Yekaterina laughed and said, "nonsense! You're worth it!"

Natalia looked up to thanked her, but then paused. "Sister, why are you wearing a scarf on your head?"

Yekaterina laughed nervously and said, "I wanted to try a new style! Don't you like it?"

"Sister, show me your hair."

Yekaterina laughed again. "Now why would you want to see-"

"Yekaterina, show me your hair." Yekaterina paused. Natalia only used her real name when there was a very serious situation. She sighed and removed her scarf, trying to ignore Natalia's gasp. "You cut your hair! Why?"

Yekaterina looked at the floor and said, "I-I just wanted a change."

"You're a terrible liar, tell me what really happened."

Yekaterina sighed and said, "I had it cut and sold for money." She looked up and smiled a little. "They're going to use it to make wigs for people in the Kingdom of Diamonds. Isn't that nice?"

"No sister, that's not 'nice'! You loved your long hair! Why did you cut it?"

Yekaterina looked serious for a moment and said, "Natalia, you deserve nice things. You were too young to remember, but our parents gave you those things. When they left...I can't afford nice things. B-but please let me give you this gift." Yekaterina burst into tears. "You deserve it..."

In a rare show of kindness, Natalia hugged her sister and shushed her, rubbing her back. "It's all right, sister. It's a very nice gift and I love it."

"R-really?"

"Yes. Come on, let's sit by the mirror and you can put it in my hair."

* * *

><p>It was late.<p>

Natalia had stayed out late looking for Ivan, but it was time to be getting home. After all, the streets of Clubs were a dangerous place to be at night. She hoped Ivan would be with Alfred and Matthew tonight. As much as she hated them, she had to admit that they knew how to stay out of trouble.

Natalia opened the front door to the Braginski house and was met with quite the sight.

Yekaterina was bent over the bed with a man looming over her. He was kissing her neck and had just began to unbutton her blouse.

"Get away from my sister, you pervert!" Natalia pulled out twin daggers just as the man pulled out a long sword.

"Stop it! Stop it, both of you!" They both turned to look at Yekaterina. She looked at the man and said, "Sadiq, please come back tomorrow." He nodded and put his sword away while Natalia kept her daggers out. He buttoned his trousers and put on a white mask. He walked over to Yekaterina and stroked her cheek while whispering something in her ear. He moved to the armoire and deposited some coins into the bowl on it. Then he left through the front door, but not before giving Natalia a glare.

After he had left the sisters' eyes met, and Yekaterina looked away. "Who was that?"

"A friend," Yekaterina replied, tightening her hold on the bedsheets.

"Friends don't take friends' shirts off." Yekaterina sighed and put her head in her hands, mumbling something. "What?"

"I said he's a client."

"A client? So what, he pays you to do that?"

"Yes." Natalia narrowed her eyes and moved closer to the bed. "Are there any others?"

Yekaterina sniffled. "Not anymore..."

Natalia walked over to the armoire and grabbed the money. "This is what you work for! This is dirty money!"

"All the money in Clubs is dirty!" Yekaterina was bright red and panting. Natalia had never seen her sister this upset. "Do you know how many times I've thought of leaving!"

Natalia ran over and held her sister's hands and said, "then why don't we?"

"No, we can't."

"Why not?"

"Because we're Clubs!" Yekaterina began crying again. "We're criminals! There's no way out for us!"

"Sister, we're not criminals."

"I never told you what happened to mother and father."

Natalia raised an eyebrow and said, "what happened?"

Yekaterina took a large breath and began. "We lived in the Palace. You, Ivan, me, and mother and father. I wish you could remember them, Natalia. They loved you so much...they loved all of us. She began crying harder. "The two of us went out and when we can back...there must have been a robbery. The safe was open a-and there was blood everywhere. Ivan was holding a weapon..." A fresh wave of tears started.

"Yekaterina...did Ivan kill our parents."

"No!" she yelled. "At least—I don't think he did." She leaned back on the bed and covered her face. "But who would have believed us? I would have probably been blamed and killed, and you two would have been on the streets."

"But it was self defense."

"There's a no tolerance policy for murder in the Palace. They wouldn't have believed that Ivan did it, so they would have killed me. So I did the first thing I thought of. I took the two of you and moved to the slums. They never would have looked for us there."

"That doesn't explain why we can't leave."

"Ivan doesn't remember anything from that day. He doesn't even remember our parents. He never asked, so I never told him. He...he still has episodes, though."

Natalia's eyes widened as she said, "what kind of episodes."

"Violence. I-I can't tell you. All I can say is that I took care of it. Here the only people he can hurt are criminals, but if we left...we need to protect him and others and stay here."

Natalia felt her blood run cold. Big brother had been doing so many terrible things...but he was good, wasn't he? He was always kind to his sisters and to Alfred and Matthew. "Why...why do you protect him?"

"Because he's our brother and we love him."

At that moment the front door opened and Ivan walked in. "Hello, sisters!" he said cheerfully. He looked at the scene before him and frowned. "Yekaterina, why are you crying?"

She sniffled and said, "I was taking a nap and had a nightmare." Ivan knelt before Yekaterina and said, "nightmares are never good. Do you want anything to make it better?"

Yekaterina smiled through her tears and said, "no thank you Ivan, I'll be fine. Actually, I was thinking of going to the market to get something. Would you like to come with me, Natalia?" Natalia nodded, not trusting herself to speak just yet.

They were about to leave before Ivan grabbed Natalia's hand. "Wait, Nat, I want to talk to you."

Natalia shivered and said, "w-why do you want to talk to me?"

"It's about something very important." He looked at Yekaterina and said, "I need to talk to her alone."

Yekaterina gave a little smile and stood on her toes to ruffle Ivan's hair. "Of course, Ivan. I'll be back in just a little while." As she passed Natalia she whispered, "Everything will be fine. He trusts you."

As soon as Yekaterina left, Ivan grinned and said, "I'm going to tell Matthew I love him."

Natalia's world stopped. "What?"

"Tonight. I'm going to take him to my secret place and I'm going to tell him I love him."

"Y-you can't!"

"Why not?"

_Because Matthew will be hurt. _"Because you're supposed to love me!"

"I do love you, sister!"

"What about our future!"

"What about it?"

_I don't want to be a part of your future anymore._"We were supposed to be together!"

Ivan smiled and said, "but I want to be with Matthew!"

_I can't let you hurt anyone. _"He'll leave you."

Ivan's smile disappeared. "What," he said, his voice getting deeper.

_If you hurt anyone, let it be me. _"I'll never leave you brother." She swallowed and said, "I love you." The words felt forced now.

Ivan snarled and grabbed her arm. "He won't leave me. He will love me because I love him."

_Let me be a martyr for you. _"You don't know that. You can't know that."

Ivan pushed Natalia into the dining room chair and one of the legs snapped. Then he took out a lead pipe from his coat. "You will not stand in my way." He swung the pipe and Natalia ducked. He ended up shattering the mirror over the armoire.

Natalia took out her daggers and pointed them at Ivan. "I don't want to hurt you, brother." _But I will if it keeps the people I love safe. _

Ivan smirked and said, "that's the difference between you and I. I will fight for what is mine. You are willing to watch it leave." He put his pipe back into his coat and walked towards the door. "If you're going to stop me, stop me. If not, I'll see you tomorrow." Ivan turned and smiled. "Have a nice night, sister!"

Natalia stood and shaky legs and walked over to one of the cots. She put her daggers away and sat on the cot and cried.

* * *

><p>It could have been seconds later or hours later, but Natalia heard the door open. She covered her face with her hands and wished they would go away. She felt an someone touch her and screamed. "Don't touch me!" She lifted her head, preparing to meet violet eyes, but met Alfred's shocked blue. She swallowed and said, "Ivan is with Matthew." <em>And I couldn't stop it. <em>

"Well, yeah, they're always together now, it's really weir-"

"No you idiot, they're together as in they're lovers!" Natalia could feel tears running down her cheeks again.

"Well, Matty can take care of himself-"

"I don't care about your stupid brother!" _Yes I do, I'm just too proud to give up this lie._ "We were supposed to be together." _But maybe I never wanted to be._ She turned to Alfred and screamed, "we were supposed to be together!" as if telling him would make the voice of reason in her head go away. "Ever since we were little Ivan would talk about how he would be King and I would be Queen. H-he can't just ruin our future like this!"

"Natalia, just because Ivan loves Matthew, that doesn't mean he doesn't love you..."

"Yes it does!" _I wonder if he's ever loved..._"The King and Queen are supposed to be true loves! That's what Kat told us!"

"Really?" Natalia turned to look at Alfred. His blue eyes were sparkling in the darkness.

"He can't leave me like this!" _He'll hurt someone._

"He's not going to leave you. You're his sister and he loves you."

"No. I'm all alone now." _He'll hurt me, and I'm prepared for that._

"You're not alone. I'm here, aren't I?"

Natalia's head snapped up. Why would he care? _I think I..._ "Thank you, Alfred."

Alfred's smile was the brightest she'd ever seen. "You said my name."

"What?"

"You've never said my name before. You usually only call me idiot. It sounds nice when you say my name." Natalia felt her face heat up and hoped she wasn't blushing. "How about you get some sleep while I clean up. Then in the morning you can talk to Ivan if you'd like." _I don't want to talk to him. I want to talk to you. _Natalia reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Please stay with me." _Please let me swallow this pride just this once. _

Alfred laid on the bed next to Natalia. "Sure, Naty. You just get some sleep."

"Alfred? Will you..." _I don't care if I sound desperate. _"Will you be here when I wake up?"

"I promise I will."

* * *

><p>It had to have been past midnight.<p>

Alfred had fallen asleep a few hours ago, and Natalia was just lying there, staring at the ceiling. She turned on her side and found herself face to face with Alfred. She brushed some hair out of his face. He mumbled a bit and snuggled up to Natalia. She blushed and allowed herself to quirk a small smile as she began to pet his head. She had never been this close to someone who wasn't sister or brother.

_Maybe I could I love you._

* * *

><p>The Battle of Clubs had just started.<p>

Natalia and Yekaterina had not chosen a side yet, but they knew when the time came they would have to side with Ivan. Ever since Matthew had left (Ivan might blame Alfred, but it was his own fault) Ivan had gotten increasingly more violent lately, and Natalia had to get out of that house. She looked across the street and saw one of the Royal's carriages. A man hurried by and Natalia grabbed his arm. "Who's carriage is that?"

The man's eyes widened as he said, "that's the King of Diamonds's carriage. He wants to meet with the Queen."

"About what?" The man shrugged. "Politics. This whole thing is ridiculous."

_Tell me about it. _Natalia nodded and let go of the man's arm. He ran off again, leaving Natalia alone. She adjusted her sleeves to cover the bruises and rounded the street corner, smacking into someone. She looked up to see Matthew giving her a hand to help her up. _Thank god you're safe. _She pushed the helping hand aside and stood up on her own. "Where's Alfred?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I want to help him."

Matthew looked skeptical as he said, "why would you want to help Alfred? I thought you hated him."

"I hate you." _Please know I don't hate you._ "I don't hate Alfred." Natalia remembered the way he looked as he slept. "I could never hate Alfred."

Matthew paused before he said, "alright, but you can't tell Ivan anything. Alfred and I are going to Spades."

"I'm coming to." _Please don't make me go home to big brother._

"No, you have to stay here with Ivan and Kat."

"Do you still love my brother?" _Please say you don't._

"I care for him." _Idiot_ "You seem to keep him in line. Stay with him and make sure he behaves himself."

"I will stay with brother as long as he needs me." _Which hopefully won't be for much longer._

"Good. Now if-" Matthew stopped when the King's trumpeters went off. "What was that?"

"The King of Diamonds is visiting. He wants to talk with the Queen." Natalia said as she pointed to the carriage across the street.

Matthew followed Natalia's gaze to the King. His expression was priceless. He turned five different shades between white and purple and seemed to be very excited. He looked like a lovesick puppy.

_I wonder if that's how I look at Alfred._ Natalia shook her head as Matthew said, "I have to go see Alfred now," He turned and ran off down the street. "Give Ivan my regards!"

* * *

><p>An hour later Natalia walked through the front door of their house and was greeted by a frantic Yekaterina.<p>

"The Royals are dead."

"What? How do you know this?"

Yekaterina groaned and said, "Sadiq's a member of The Resistance," she ignored the way Natalia flinched when she said her client's name. "He's their spy."

"So? What does this mean."

Yekaterina fell back onto the bed. "To be quite honest, it means everything is going to fall to shit. Ivan's going to have a foothold in the Palace. Which means he could become a Royal."

"The master decides who's going to be a Royal."

Yekaterina let out a shaky breath. "Ivan's capable of so much though..." She gasped when she heard footsteps on the cobblestone outside. "Ivan's home, under the bed."

Natalia slipped under the bed just as Ivan opened the door. "Hello, sister! Where's Natalia?"

Yekaterina tried to ignore the spatters of blood on Ivan's coat. "She went for a little walk."

Ivan clicked his tongue and said, "sister shouldn't go for walks. There are bad people on the streets." _There are bad people in here. _"Anyway, I have great news sister!"

"What is it, Ivan?"

"The Royals are dead! This could change everything!"

Yekaterina gave a nervous laugh. "That's very good, Ivan. Very good, indeed."

Ivan smiled and nodded. "Once we get this whole mess straightened out I can get my sunflower back!"

"Maybe you should leave Matthew alone for a while, Ivan, dear."

Ivan's eye twitched and he said, "why would I do that, Yekaterina?"

"Well, maybe he just needs some time to himself."

"He's had enough time. The more he stays with Alfred, the more he fills his head with lies." Ivan smiled wider as he paced back and forth. "Maybe when this is done we can move to a place with a lot of flowers."

"You can't leave!"

Ivan stopped pacing and whipped around. "Why not?"

"Because...because..."

"Because what, sister?"

"Because..." Yekaterina's face began to turn red and her voice got quieter. "Because I can't tell you."

Ivan chuckled and removed the pipe from his coat. "It is not good to lie, sister. People get hurt when they lie." He leaned in close to her. "You don't want to get hurt, do you?" Yekaterina's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Then you'll tell me what you're hiding?"

Yekaterina swallowed before meeting Ivan's eye. "No."

Ivan chuckled again. "Wrong answer, sister." He swung his pipe and hit her collar bone. She cried and fell to the ground. "Will you tell me now?" She shook her head again. He hit her shoulder. "How about now?" She didn't answer. He brought the pipe down on her knee and giggled when he heard a little "crack" sound. "I like that sound, sister. I like it very much. It means I'm winning." Natalia tried to crawl out wrong under the bed and Yekaterina kicked her back under. Luckily for them, Ivan didn't see her. Natalia crept out from the other side of the bed and grabbed a pot and slammed it down on Ivan's head. He fell down on top of Yekaterina.

Natalia pushed Ivan off of her and yelled, "sister! Are you okay?"

Yekaterina coughed up some blood and whispered, "is...is Ivan alright?"

_Stop caring so damn much. _"Ivan doesn't matter right now. What matters is you!"

Yekaterina coughed again and said, "Natalia. Listen to me. You deserve nice things. You deserve happiness. Live for yourself. Not for Ivan." Yekaterina shivered and said, "it's cold, I'm going to sleep for a while."

"Sister, you can't sleep!"

Yekaterina closed her eyes and said, "it's alright, Natalia. I'm going to see mother and father and tell them what a beautiful and strong lady you are." Her grip on Natalia's hand loosened. "Goodbye, Natalia. I love you, my sister..."

Then...nothing.

It was so quiet. When was the last time it had been this quiet in their house? Natalia crossed Yekaterina's arms over each other before moving to Ivan. She grimaced before removing his coat and scrubbing it in the sink. _Such a good sister. _She folded the coat and laid it on the bed. Then she sat down with Yekaterina and held her hand while letting the tears flow again.

"Natalia, what happened?" Natalia looked at Ivan and tried to calm her beating heart. "Natalia, what happened to Yekaterina?" he said softly, as if he was talking to a child.

_He's still your brother. Even if he does terrible things, he's still your brother and you have to protect him._ "A-a member of The Resistance killed her."

"Alfred"

"What?" _No, it wasn't Alfred!_ "No, it wasn't Alfred!"

"Then you saw who did it?" _Protect him, just this one last time._ She shook her head and looked at the ground.

"Then Alfred did it. I know he is a member of The Resistance. This must be his idea of revenge for what happened to Matthew. He must think we're even now." Ivan stood and walked towards the door. "But we are far from even."

"Where are you going, Ivan?" _You've already broken my heart, are you going to make sure no one can ever repair it again?_

"I'm going to win this battle, and then I'm gonna to make sure Alfred pays. For everything he has taken from me."

"Ivan, I'm leaving."

Ivan stopped and turned. "What did you just say."

"I'm leaving." She took out one of her daggers. "And you won't stop me."

Ivan blinked before saying, "fine." _You'd let me leave just like that? _"Take care of yourself."

_ I guess you never did love me._

* * *

><p>Today was the day.<p>

Natalia walked through the Palace of Spades towards the throne room. They were naming the King, Queen, and Ace today, so Alfred was sure to be here.

_I will protect you._

As Natalia walked to the throne room a blonde with enormous eyebrows ran past her, followed shortly after by a dark haired, feminine looking man. As Natalia entered the throne room she found it was in complete chaos. But none of that mattered when she heard a distinct voice say, "Natalia?" Natalia ran towards Alfred and threw herself into his arms. It was probably the biggest display of affection she had ever given anyone, but she didn't care. "Natalia, what-"

"I'm here to protect you!" she screeched. She didn't care that there were more than a thousand eyes on her right now, this moment was perfect in her mind.

"Oh, you're the new Ace, aren't you?" Before Natalia could interject, Alfred laughed and said, "Natalia Arlovskaya? I like the sound of it!" Natalia blushed before Alfred patted her on the arm and said, "well, it was nice seeing you again, and I'm sure we'll see each other lots more, but I've got a Queen to catch."

"Excuse me?" Alfred laughed. "Didn't you hear? I'm the new King of Spades."

Natalia's eyes widened as she said, "I thought you had to born into the Kingdom to become King."

"Well, it looks like someone changed the rules!" His expression turned serious suddenly. "Natalia...we never got to talk about this but...I don't blame you at all for what Ivan did."

_It was my fault. _"Alfred, please-"

"No, I'm serious. Let's let bygones be bygones and put this whole mess behind us, okay?" Alfred smiled and brushed his shirt down. "If you'll excuse me, I've got a Queen to meet." He looked at Natalia and smiled. "Hopefully we'll be true loves, right?"

Natalia's hand tightened into a fist as she said, "right."

"I'll see you later, Natalia! Oh, and..." Alfred leaned in and kissed Natalia's cheek. "Welcome to the Kingdom of Spades!"

Natalia was left standing in the center of the throne room, redder than she had ever been.

Alfred was King...oh my...

And it was her job to protect him. Natalia smiled. Things were finally looking her way.

_But if that Queen touches my Alfred they'll find her with a knife sticking out of her neck._

* * *

><p>Now we finally learn Natalia's story. Hopefully she'll learn to listen those voices in her head, they seemed to be the most perceptive in our little play. Next let's meet the golden couple, Elizabeta and Roderich, and see what secrets they hold...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>You know that episode of "The Twilight Zone" with Bily Mumy where he wishes people away to the cornfield? I couldn't stop thinking of that while writing Ivan. <strong>

**Review, please (:**


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